Memorable Week

This week has kept me very busy. On top of my normal schedule I undertook some mayoral duties as part of my responsibilities as West Valley City's Mayor Pro Tem. The Mayor was in Washington attending a conference and so I conducted my first City Council meetings. The regular meeting was eventful as we had a public hearing to discuss the Hunter Town Center general plan update. I was pleased to see so many friendly and familiar faces crowd into the council chambers to express their thoughts, ideas, and frustrations towards this new concept. Before the meeting the lobby of City Hall was filled with various residents representing their neighborhood associations. Once again, West Valley City was nationally recognized this year for their successful neighborhood night out festivities. It was great to be able to greet and address these resident that work in the trenches and have a deep commitment to our community. Later I accepted the national award on behalf of the City.

The next day I attended a celebration luncheon at Firestone building products. They were being recognized by the State for achieving a voluntary safety certification. They are only the fourth business in the state to receive such recognition. The staff includes many West Valley City residents who were pleased that the City was represented and in attendance to celebrate their achievement. I particularly enjoyed talking to the Firestone executives that had traveled from various other cities across the country to share in the recognition. These executives were lodging at one of the E-Center area hotels and talked about how impressed they were with our entertainment district. They also inquired about our various area business parks as I pointed out the advantages to any future expansion in West Valley City.

Last but certainly not least I was able to visit a longtime West Valley resident and friend of mine with a couple of players from the Utah Grizzles. He is one of their biggest fans and has been cheering on the team from their origins, but recently has been very ill. It is good to see that the team cares about West Valley City and the residents. I told the Grizz players that they were great ambassadors for our City and that I needed a win from them tomorrow as I will be bringing some Utah VIPs to their first Hockey game. I am sure that it will be a great game regardless, because the win or lose the Grizzles always play hard and are fun to watch.